Combined primer and gas-saving device



Apr. 3, 1923. 1,459,883 J. c. BENNETT COMBINED PRIMER AND GAS SAVING DEVICE Filed Aug. 9, 192,2

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Patented Apr. 3, i923.

stares JAMES C. BENNETT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COMBINED PRIMER AND GAS-SAVING DEVICE.

Application filed August 9, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Laws C. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of l Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oombined Primers and Gas-Saving Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a priming and fuel saving device and may be classed among those devices which are associated with an internal combustion engine and installed between or contiguous to the carbureter outlet connection and the intake manifold of the engine to admit an auxiliary supply of air which will dilute the explosive mixture supplied by a carbureter and save fuel or permit of a small quantity of gasoline or other fuel being admitted to the intake manifold of an engine for priming and starting purposes.

My invention aims to provide an accessory for the fuel supply system of an internal combustion engine that may be easily and quickly installed at the connecting flanges of the carbureter outlet connection and the intake manifold of the engine, the accessory being substituted for one or both of the usual nut equipped bolts which connect the flanges of the manifold and carbureter outlet connection. The accessory includes a gasket or washer that is substituted for the usual gasket in such connection and a valve construction, including a hollow bolt is substituted for the usual connecting bolt, said hollow bolt admitting auxiliary air or priming fuel, preferably the former which will produce a saving without sacrificing the efficiency of an internal combustion engine, especially the engine of an automobile. It is in this connection that the greater mileage may be obtained from a predetermined quantity of fuel simply by admitting air to commingle with the explosive mixture.

My invention further aims to provide an auxiliary air supply device that may be installed at the juncture of the carbureteroutlet connection and an engine intake manifold with the auxiliary air supply device connected to the usual throttle for operation in synchronism therewith, especially after an engine has been started and the throttle placed in a wide open position. Such position of the throttle places the auxiliary air Serial No. 580,593.

supply device in a full open position for admitting air to the intake manifold of the engine and means may be associated with the device for temporarily holding it in a full open position. Such means may not be accessible to an unauthorized user of the automobile, and consequently the automobile engine, equipped in accordance with this invention, cannot be started until the auxiliary air device is shut ofi to exclude air from the intake manifold of the engine and until after it has been started. It is therefore apparent that such device may reduce, to a certain extent, the theft of automobiles. At

any rate it will be necessary for the driver of the automobile to manually close the aux liary air supply device before the automobile engine can be started. There are other features of my invention which may appear as the construction is specifically described by aid of the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan of the preferred form of the priming and fuel saving device;

Fig. 2 a horizontal sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan of a modified form of device:

Fig. 4. is an end view of the same;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig 6 is a similar view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 7, is a plan of a detached gasket or washer.

Reference will first be had to Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7, and the reference numeral 1 denotes the outlet connection of a conventional form of carburetor or other named fuel supply device, said connection having a flange 2 at its end provided with openings 3 and in said connection is a throttle or butterfly valve 4: having its shaft 5 provided with a crank to which is connected a rod 7 by which the throttle may be conveniently adjusted.

denotes the intake manifold connection of an internal combustion engine and this connection has a flange 9 provided with openings 10 adapted to aline with the openings of the flange 2 so that one or more nut equipped bolts 11 may be employed for connecting the intake manifold connection 8 to the carburcter outlet connection 1.

1). denotes a gasket or washer placed between the flanges 2 and 9 and held in place by the bolts 11. The gasket or washer 12 has slots 13 affording bolt openings which communicate with the large opening 14 in the gasket and in the slots 13 may be placed screens 15, gauze or other foraminous material.

16 denotes a long bolt 01' ported member that is substituted for one of the bolts 11 and the bolt 16 has a collar 17 co-operating' with a nut 18 in clamping the flanges 2 and 9 with a gasket 12 sandwiched therebetween. The bolt 16 has a longitudinal bore 19 with its ends communicating with the lateral ports 20 and 21, the latter constantly communicating with the bolt slot 13 of the gasket 12, thereby establishing communication, through the screen 15, between the opening l liof the gasket, and the bore 19 of the bolt.

22 denotes a rotatable sleevelikc valve member on the bolt 16 and one end of the valve member 22 is recessed to provide stop shoulders 23 adapted to impinge against a stop pin 24: carried by the collar 17 of the bolt. The. opposite end of the valve member 22 engages an abutment 2ffixed on the end of the bolt 16 by'a nut 26 or other fastening means. The valve member 22, adjacent the abutment 25, has a lateral opening 27 adapted to coinmunicate with the port 20 and mounted in the lateral opening is an air inlet tube 28 that may also be employed for admitting a small quantity of gasoline or other fuel to the bore 19 for priming purposes. The outer end of the air inlet tube is connected by a coiled retractile spring 29 to an extension of the abutment 25, and also by a chain or other flexible connection 30 to the. crank 6, so that when the throttle at is turned towards a closed position the air tube 28 will be swung to partially rotate the valve member 22 and open the port 20 relative to the air tube. In other words, the throttle 4C and the valve member 22. are adapted to operate in synchronism, but the throttle will be opened first and engine speed obtained before an auxiliary supply of air is admitted to the intake manifold. The r'etractile force of the spring 29 is adapted to hold the valve member 22 normally closed so that it will automatically close as the throttle is closed.

Reference will now be had to Figs. 3 and .4. showing two of the bolts 16 substituted for two of the bolts 11. and in this instance the valve members 22 have cranks 31 connected by a rod 32 permitting of the valve mem. bers being turned in unison and in this form of my device it is necessary that the gasket. or washer 12 be as shown in Fig. 7, instead of as shown in Fig. 2, in order that both bolts may communicate with the gasket opening 1 1 and admit air thereto. In this form of device the valves are normally closed and are not opened by the throttle until the throttle has moved a prescribed distance, when theval'ves open and 'admit air. At one of the valves 1 provide a pivoted resilient clip or hold-fast device 33, which is normally in an inactive position, but which may be swung to an active position so that one of the air inlet tubes 28 will snap into engagement therewith and hold both tubes or valves in an open position. For instance. after parking an automobile, I may raise the engine hood and manually shift the valves to an open position with the valve held in such position by the clip engaging one of the tubes. Then if an unauthorized person attempted to operate the automobile too much air would be admitted for starting purposes. lVhen the owner desires to use the car it is necessary to release the valves and swing the clip out of the road, so that the valves are then under the control of the throttle. To hold the valve normally closed the spring 35 connects one of the air inlet tubes to an extension 34 of one of the abutments 25 and in this double form of my device, it is apparent that the device may be manually set so as to prevent theft of an automobile by a person not familiar with the use of the device or aware of its use.

From the foregoing it will be observed that my device serves practically four purposes, first, as abolt or connecting means between the flanged ends of an intake manifold and the outlet connection of a carbureter; second, as aprimer permittinp of a quantity of fuel being admitted to the intake manifold of an engine; third, as a valve, and fourth, as a saving device when the valve is usedfor admitting air to the intake manifold.

It is, thought that the utility of my invention will be apparent without further description, and while in the drawing there is illustrated the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is 1. In a priming and auxiliary air supply device for internal combustion engines wherein an intake manifold is connected to a carbureter connection ;means for admitting air to the intake manifold, said means comprising a gasket interposed between the manifold and carbureter connection, hollow bolt cooperating with the manifold and carbureter connection in holding said gasket in place, said bolt communicating with said manifold through said gasket and adapted to: supply air thereto, a valve member on said bolt controlling the admission of air thereto, a tube carried by said valve member and through which air or a priming agent may pass into said bolt, and means connected to said tube to facilitate adjustment of said valve member.

2. A device as called for in claim 1, Wl161:6-

in said means includes a throttle actuated connection.

3. A device as called for in claim. 1, wherein said means includes a flexible member for opening said valve member and a clip adapted for holding said valve member open.

at. In an auxiliary air inlet device for an internal combustion engine wherein an in take manifold, is connected to a. carbureter outlet connection to receive fuel therefrom and a throttle controls the supply of fuel to the intake manifold ;-means for admitting air to said intake manifold, said means comprising ahollow member communicating with the intake manifold, a valve member rotatable on said hollow member, and controlling the admission of air to said hollow member, and means connected to said throttle adapted for adjusting said valve member.

5. A device as calledfor in claim l, wherein said valve and hollow members are con structed and articulated relative to the throttle so said throttle is opened in advance of said valve members.

6. In an auxiliary air inlet device for an internal combustion engine wherein an intake: manifold is connected to a carbureter outlet connection to receive fuel therefrom and a throttle controls the supply of fuel to the intake manifold ;-means for admitting air to said intake manifold, said means com- ,rising a hollow member communicating: with the intake manifold, a valve member rotatable on said hollow member, and controlling the admission of air to said hollow member, a tube carried by said valve member and through which tube air may pass into said valve and hollow members, and :1- eonnection between said tube and the throttle permitting of said throttle and valve member being adjusted, the throttle opening in advance of the valve member.

7. A device as called for in claim 6, and means adapted to hold said tube with said valve member open independent of any throttle adjustment.

8. In an auxiliary air inlet device for an internal combustion engine wherein an intake manifold is connected to a carbureter outlet connection to receive fuel'therefrom and a throttle controls the supply of fuel to the intake manifold ;means for admitting air to said intake manifold, said means comprising hollow members at opposite sides of the intake manifold adapted to admit air to said intake manifold, valve members on said hollow members controlling the admission of air to said hollow members, means articulating said valve members for movement in synchronism, and means connecting said throttle to one of said valve members so that said throttle may adjust said valve members.

9. A device as called for in claim 8, and means adapted for holding said valve members in open positions independent of any adjustments of the throttle.

10. In an auxiliary air inlet device for an internal combustion engine wherein an intake manifold is connected to a earbureter outlet connection to receive fuel therefrom and a throttle controls the supply of fuel to the intake manifold ;means for admitting air to said intake manifold, said means comprising a slotted gasket between said intake manifold and said carbureter outlet connection, ported bolts establishing such connection and communicating with the slots of said gasket, valves for admitting air to said ported bolts, means connecting said valves for operation in synchronism, and means connecting one of said valves to said throttle to be actuated thereby.

11. The combination with an intake inanifold and an outlet connection of a. carbureter, of fastening means for connecting the carbureter outlet connection and the intake manifold, said fastening means being ported and constantly communicating with said intake manifold, and a rotatable valvemember on said ported fastening means and adapted to serve functionally as a priming valve and saver for an engine supplied with fuel through the intake manifold.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES C. BENllETT. iVitnesses:

KARL H. BUTLER, ANNA M. DoRR. 

